Derek Blasberg: I grew up in St Louis, Missouri, in the mid '90s, just before the Digital Revolution, which meant all I had to feed my need for Hollywood, the art world and the fashion industry was magazines. And I went through them like crazy. I tore out pages, I made collages, I wallpapered all four walls and the ceiling of my childhood bedroom with photographs from magazines. The supermodels played a big part of that. Lots of Naomi Campbell, lots of Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista. So, in a kind of fabulous way, this book was a much more sophisticated version of what I used to do when I was a kid.

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HB: What is it about models that you love so much?

DB: Well there's the simple answer that I like to look at beautiful creatures. But I think for me, and for people who will like this book, someone who truly respects the craft of these girls is that it's much more than being skinny and pretty and standing in front of a camera wearing a dress. Modeling is much different than that. A good model can do what an actress does, but in a single photograph and without dialogue. What is so fabulous about these women especially is that they were collaborators, they were muses, they were inspirations, they changed the game. China Machado, one of Avedon's favorites, redefined ethnic stereotypes in magazines, and he liked her so much he used her as a fashion editor until he died. In fact, China's Bazaar cover was taken after not when she was first modeling, but when she was an editor at the magazine. You have someone like Carmen Dell'Orifice, discovered on a New York City bus as a teenager in 1944, and still working today. Naomi would suggest her own concepts for stories. Linda was famous for doing whatever it took to get the perfect picture, even changing her hair color 13 times if that's what it took. What I love about the faces of this industry is the determination to make something look perfect.

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HB: What inspired you to do this book?

DB: This book is for the fashion fans out there. People like me who grew up idolizing models and wanting to know more about them. The fun part about this book, apart from going through the archives and finding these iconic images, was researching the real lives of these women. Some had fabulous lives, moved to exotic places. Jean Shrimpton, who's on the back cover, was the face of the 1960's, and then walked away from it all and now runs an inn in the English countryside. Fascinating! And there's the story of Dovima, another one of Avedon's favorites. She is the girl in the picture 'Dovima and the Elephants,' which has the record for most expensive photograph sold at auction—Dior bought it for over a million dollars because, presumably, the dress she is wearing in the picture is Dior. When she faded from the fashion industry she had a bum husband and ended up moving to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, moving in with her mom and being the hostess at a Two Boots Pizza parlor.

HB: Do you have a favorite image from the book?

DB: Are you kidding? These are some of my favorite models shot by favorite photographs in collaboration with some of my favorite stylists and hair and makeup artists. I can't pick one! But I will say that anything that has the name Avedon next to it is a work of art!

HB: Tell us about the first time you met some of these models.

DB: It's true that I'm friendly with most of the girls that are in the book and still living now. But for the most part, when I met them it was in a work context. And say what you will about these girls but there's a reason they are in a book that celebrates models. You put them in front of a camera and something comes alive. It's a different energy for each of them, and it's this ability to go from sexy to vulnerable to exotic. Another thing that is instantly evident when you meet some of these girls is how important personality is. A new face can get some buzz, but it takes something special to keep an interest. Most of these girls are a joy to be around: Some are super sweet and always have a big smile on their face, some are a little naughty and always have a little gossip up their sleeve. But there has to be an edge. There has to be something that makes photographers want to book them and makes people want to buy the products they're selling or magazines they're on the cover of. I did a story on Kate Moss and one of the first things I said was that it's a shame she doesn't do many interviews because she is one of the quickest, sharpest, funniest people in this industry. She leaves people howling.

HB: Most common misconceptions about models?

DB: Ha! I'm not sure if I'm the one you should ask about that because I have no misconceptions about these girls. Perhaps there are some people who think they're always late or difficult or boring. Well, Naomi isn't the most punctual girl on the planet, but put her on a runway and no one is looking anywhere else but on her. A misconception about all of this industry is that it's not hard work, and I can assure you that one of the reasons the women in this book became famous for what they do is because they make it all look so easy. Modeling is a job, and these girls are, well, super at it.